Apparatus for irrigating plants.



E. F. REID.

APPARATUS 110R IRRIGATING PLANTS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 8.1918.

Patented Sept. 10, 1 918.

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gatin the annexe I parts and in the ELTON REID, OF WACO, TEXAS.

APPARATUS FOR IERIGATING PLANTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 8, 1918. Serial No. 288,863.

To all whom it ma concern:

Be it known t at I, ELTON F. REID, a citizen of the United States, residin at Waco, in the county of McLehnan and tate of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Irri- Plants, speci cation.

This invention relates to irrigating apparatus and more particularly to an apparatus especially adapted for irrigating growing trees and plants of all kinds in climates where surface irrigation, high temperatures and dry atmospheres, is im racticable for obtaining the best results.

81m of the objects of the resent invention is to provide a simple and practical apparatus particularly adapted for irri atlng young growing p ants. A further object is to provide a portable self-contained apparatus of the above character having re a tively few parts which may be'inexpensively made, assembled and operated. A further object is to provide an appar tus of the first above mentioned character w ich will be reliable and efiicient in use and operation. A further object is to provide an apparatus of the above character capable of most efiiciently and practically irrigating plantsat their roots where the effect of the will be most eflective.

Other ob'ects will be in part obvious from drawings and in part indicated in connection therewith by the following analysis of this invention.

This invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of unique relations of the members and in the relative proportioning and disposition thereof, all as more completely outlined herein.

To enable others skilled in the art so fully to comprehend the underlyin features thereof that they may embody t e same by the numerous modifications in structure and relation" contemplated by this invention, drawings depicting a preferred form have been annexed as a part of this disclosure, and in such drawings like characters of reference denote orresponding parts throughout all the views, in which Figure 1 is a side elevationpartlyv in section showing. largely diagrammaticallythe complete apparatus;

Figs. 2 and 3 are detail views.

of which the following is a due to extremely- -desired manner with and engine control which shaft irrigation be connected with Referring now to the drawings in detail and more particularly to Fig. 1, 5 denotes the floor of the body portion of a vehicle of any desired type, but as herein shown, the a paratus comprises a self-contained autoino lle, preferabl an en ine indicate at 6, one or more steering w eels 7 at the forward part, and a tractor chain S-in 'the rear. This chain is adapted to travel about sprockets l0 and 11 Patented Sept. 1d), 1918.

of tractor form, having,

and is driven by a central sprocket 12 which 7 in turn is rotated by means of chain 13 operated from a main transverse driveshaft 14. This, of 'course, is connected in any the main engine 6 and includes suitable transmission, change speed,

The front or steering wheels 7 are connected in any suitable manner as by means of rope or linkage 15 to a rear wheel or member 16 at the bottom of shaft 17- the upper end of I is provided with a steering handle 18. The drivers or operators seat 20 is conveniently located at the rear of the machine, as indicated' Mounted in the upper rear part of the body of the vehicle is a, two art chamber 21, as shown in Fig. 2, adapted to hold or contain a-freezin mixture such as a brine or gas of any desired type and if of that character requiring compression a pum is preferably provided driven from or adapted to the main source of power 6 as maybe necessary. As the particular type of refrigerant and method of useforms no special part of the invention, details of such apparatus are for clearness omitted, it beiiliig sufiicient to indicate an inlet 22 to' this tan Adjacent this tank 21, either above or surrounding it as may be desired for insulating purposes, is a second tank, having an inlet as may be necessary.-

23, for supplying water at intervals to a two parts of the tank 21.. This conveyer belt isadapted to convey the ice projectiles to lit a gun or discharging device 26 mounted in pivotal bearings 27 whereby its direction may be varied at will. More than one gun may be used if desired. This gun is preterably discharged by com ressed air obtained from air pump shown iagrammatically at 28 and connected in any desired manner with the main source of motive supply 6. A trigger 30 is ssociated with the gun for actuating it as desired while a second trigger 31 is positioned convenient to the operator for actuating the endless belt 25 in a step by step manner to feed the projectiles to the gun 26.

As shown in Fig. 1, plants are indicated at 32 and the gun is shown as discharging a projectile 33 into the ground adjacent the roots of the plants. In this manner the ice is protected from the direct rays of the sun as well as the dry atmos here by the layer of dirt thereover and W l slowly melt, allowing the roots ofthe plants to absorb the full extent of moisture. If desired, an attachment 34 may be connected with the rear of the machine for covering over the hole in the ground made by the entering projectile thereby to more efiiciently conserve the moisture. g; i

In operation, the machine travels along between or straddling the rows of plants under its own power and as the hints are reached the gun 26 is fired to discharge a projectile of ice into the ground at the roots of the plant, as shown. The apparatus is of such size as to provide twenty or thirty projectiles at once to the endless belt 25 and while these are being used, a second charge will have been made by the refrigerant in the for the above purpose the apparatus may be used wherever a tractor is applicable.

From the above it will be present device provides a simple. and practical apparatus adapted to accomplish, among others, all of the objects and advantages herein set forth.

I realize that considerable variation is possible in the details of construction and. arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of my invention, and l therefore do not intend to limit myself to the specific form shown and described.

- ated by the engine 0 scribed,

freezing tank. When not used seen that the harass? I claim- 1. In an apparatus of the character de scribed, in combination, a vehicle having refrigerating means for forming ice pellets, and means adapted to discharge said pellets into the ground for irrigating plants at their roots.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, a motor vehicle, a refrigerating means carried thereby adapted to make ice pellets, vehicle for discharging the ice pellets into the ground at the roots of plants, and means for conveying the ice pellets from the refrigeratingmeans to the gun.

3.1n an apparatus of the character described, in combination, a motor vehicle, a refrigerating means carried thereby adapted to make ice pellets, a gun carried by said vehicle for discharging the ice pellets into the ground at the roots ofplants, means for conveying the ice pellets from the refrigerating means to the gun, said gun being operated by compressed air, and means actui the motor vehicle for supplying compressed air to the gun.

4. In an apparatus of the character dein combination, a refrigerating means adapted to form ice pellets, a conveyer into which said ice pellets are peri dically discharged, a gun carried by the vehicle adapted to shoot the ice pellets into the ground adjacent the roots of plants, and means for operating said conveyer in a step by step manner.

5.1a a motor vehicle having its own source of power, refrigerating means for forming ice pellets, a gun for discharging the ice ellets into the ground adjacent the roots oi plants, an air pump driven from the source of power for supplying compressed air to the gun, a conveyer for carrying the ice pellets from the refrigerating means to the gun, and means for actuating said conveyer.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

ELTON F. REID.

Witnesses D. W. GALL, K. E. KLEIN.

a gun carried by said 

